VISITING WASHINGTON, D.C.

We rode the Greyhound bus from NYC to Washington, D.C.
on Sunday morning and arrived by 1:30 pm.
We weren't planning to check into the Hotel George until 3pm,
but luckily, we were able to upon arrival.
Following check-in, we ventured the area and decided to have brunch at Matchbox.

@ 521 8th Street SE, Washington, D.C., 20003.

We both had the cast-iron steak & eggs with brunch
potatoes and grilled ciabatta with garlic butter.

Spirit of Justice.

Bartholdi Fountain.

The US Botanic Garden.

National Museum of the American Indian.

The first museum that we decided to explore was the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden.
It was the museum that I had most highly anticipated and I ended up falling in love with it.
The architecture was interesting, the collection was amazing,
the guards/staff were extremely informative and admission is free!

Brushstroke - Roy Lichtenstein, 1996.

Two Discs - Alexander Calder, 1965.

Last Conversation Piece - Juan Munoz, 1994/5.

First Row Orchestra - Edward Hopper, 1951.

Ferragosto II - Cy Twombly, 1961.
In Memorium: April 25, 1928 - July 5, 2011.

Diptych: Study of the Human Body - From a Drawing by Ingres - Francis Bacon, 1982-84.

Directions: Grazia Toderi.

Bust of Diego - Alberto Giacometti, 1957.

Delaware Gap - Franz Kline, 1958.

Book No. 6 - Lucas Samaras, 1962.

Woman with Baby Carriage - Pablo Picasso, 1950.

Marilyn Monroe's Lips - Andy Warhol, 1962.

Untitled (Sculptural Study, 12-part Vertical Construction) - Fred Sandback, 1990.

Milk Run - James Turrell, 1996.
This is one of the most amazing artworks I've ever been able to experience -
Partially because I was able to take part in its process.
When you come across it in the museum, a guard approaches you and asks if you're "ready" to
enter, she then warns you that it is PITCH BLACK upon entering the doorway.
You must examine the map before you enter, so you have an idea where you're going and
it's best advised that you hold onto the rail before you reach the seating area.
You have to remain in this room for several minutes to be able to adapt to the low lighting conditions...
Amazingly, your eyes adjust and you're then able to see everything around you.
What you once so blindly stumbled upon is now in your plain, clear sight.
It was so awesome... I really loved this artwork.

Back I, II, III & IV - Henri Matisse.

Penance No. 3 - Manuel Neri, 1982.

Condensation Cube - Hans Haacke, 1963 - 2008.

The National Air & Space Museum.

We simply stumbled into this museum in an attempt to "kill time",
but ended up really loving this place and enjoying ourselves.
The collection was like nothing I've ever seen before and
the exhibits were so educational, but fun at the same time.
I'm really glad we visited this museum because my boyfriend was SO pleased.
It was really the highlight of the trip for him, so that made me happy.

After leaving the National Air & Space Museum, we decided to walk around
and just park ourselves somewhere, mainly to enjoy the sunset.
We realized that we were (what seemed to be) directly amongst the monuments,
so instead of trying to cram everything into the following day, we figured... WHY NOT TODAY?!
We sat and relaxed for a little while in front of the US Capitol, then took the trek
all the way towards the end of the hike, finishing up with the Lincoln Memorial.

In front of the US Capitol.

The Washington Monument.

The National World War II Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

As you can tell, our first day in D.C. was super fulfilling, but also extremely tiring.
We walked 5+ miles that day and although it was all worth it,
what a strain.
So the next morning, before we headed out to some more museums,
we decided it would be best to treat ourselves to some breakfast in bed.

Checking out of the Hotel George.

On our way to the museums...

Tom's - Alexander Calder, 1974.

The National Gallery of Art - West Building.

Venus - Milanese, 16th century - 1580/1590.

Louis XIV - After Gian Lorenzo Bernini, circa 1700.

Naiad - Antonio Canova, 1815-1823.

The Veil of Veronica - Domenico Fetti, circa 1618/1622.

The Girl with a Shell - Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, 1863-1867.

Painting & Sculpture - Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert, 1774/1778.

Shaw Memorial - Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1900.

My boyfriend is a little bit more into modern and contemporary art, so he became a
little restless in the West building of the National Gallery of Art.
Looking at the map, we followed the underground concourse to the East building...
The walls and even the restrooms were lined with replicas of masterpieces,
so even though you were no longer in the art galleries, you still knew and
felt that you were in a museum... I loved it.
Passing through the gift shop, we came across the cafeteria and figured we
should sit down and have a bite to eat since we had another entire building to go through.

The National Gallery of Art's cafeteria.

Although a little pricey, the food was delicious and exactly what we needed.

Fountain waterfall.

The path to the East Building.
Multiverse - Leo Villareal, 2008.

Outside of the East Building, warming up, underneath the sunshine.

Permanent Alexander Calder mobile.

Walking Man II - Alberto Giacometti, 1960.

Satan's Flag - Gene Davis, 1970.

Tableau No. IV; Lozenge Composition with Red, Gray, Blue, Yellow, and Black - Piet Mondrian, circa 1924/25.

Permanent Installation: The Matisse Cutouts room.

Constantin Brancusi display.

The Alexander Calder room.

Cuadro 78 - Manolo Millares, 1959.

Composition - Pierre Soulages, 1955.

Mark Rothko display.
Some of you may already know this, but Mark Rothko is one of my favorite artists.
Before arriving to the National Gallery of Art, I was under the impression that
this museum contained a Rothko Chapel.
I believe I read it on some other site a few days before our trip.
Unfortunately, when I arrived and couldn't locate the chapel, I asked
one of the guards and she informed me that it had been taken down.
My heart was broken... But maybe one day.

Lavender Mist - Jackson Pollock, 1950.

The Barnett Newman room.
I absolutely LOVED this experienced.
I'm sure some of you can tell that I am a major fan of the Abstract Expressionist movement.
One of the most beautiful things I've ever stumbled upon.

Leaving the National Gallery of Art.

We planned to possibly visit another museum before we left, but we were
exhausted and our legs were killing us, so we decided to end the trip here.
We were originally supposed to leave on a 7:30pm bus, but we caught the 5pm.
We really enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to return!
The museums were exceptional, the weather was lovely, food delicious
and the night in the hotel was so relaxing.
So glad we decided to visit D.C. ... Great summer highlight.

Thanks for reading, loves.
Any questions? Feel free to ask.
XOXO